Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) has become a more common speech disorder. It is when a child has a difficult time making accurate movements when talking.
In CAS, the brain struggles to develop plans for speech movement. With this disorder, the speech muscles aren’t weak, but they don’t perform normally because the brain has difficulty directing or coordinating the movements.
To speak correctly, your child’s brain has to learn how to make plans that tell his or her speech muscles how to move the lips, jaw and tongue in ways that result in accurate sounds and words spoken with normal speed and rhythm.
A speech therapist helps teach the child’s brain how to coordinate the muscle movements so a child can form words.
Diagnosing Apraxia of Speech
If you suspect your child has some type of speech disorder, an evaluation by a certified Speech Language Pathologist can diagnose and help. Through a series of exams and observations that measure oral mechanisms, such as tongue movement, blowing, licking lips, and pursing lips, as well as observing the child talking and eating. A speech therapist can also rule out any other speech disorders.
Symptoms of Apraxia of Speech
Childhood apraxia of speech is associated with a variety of speech related symptoms. These can include:
Between 18 months and 2 years
Delayed onset of first words
Spoken words are limited
During infancy, minimal babbling
The ability to form only a few vowel or consonant sounds.
Between 2 years old and 4
Distortion of consonant and vowels
Separation between words or syllables
Other markers of apraxia of speech
Difficulty saying complex or long words
Struggle or grasping to make words
Omitting consonants at the ends or beginnings of words
Incorrect stresses or inflections of certain words or sounds
Difficulty moving smoothly from one work or sound to another
Inconsistencies in speech, for instance, able to say a word or sound correctly sometimes, but not others.
A speech or language disorder does not usually reflect a child’s intelligence, but can result in social isolation, low self-esteem, and problems learning.
If you have concerns about your child’s speech or language development, it is important to contact a speech therapist, pediatrician, teacher, or school counselor, and request an assessment.
At First Words Speech Therapy we work with children, their parents and caregivers, giving them the resources needed for success.
